History: Gyo Obata while studying architecture under Minoru Yamasaki, designer of the World Trade Center, met George Kassabaum and the two struck up a partnership that was the beginning of HOK. In 1955 the first HOK building was created, a public school building in St. Louis. The first years after the formation of the company, HOK designed mostly school buildings and got its first big break in 1961 when it was commisioned to design the Edwardsville campus of the University of Southern Illinois. HOK continued to grow and open more offices across the United States through the 60s and 70s. In 1984 the company reached a new milestone when they opened their first international office, in Hong Kong. By the 1990s, the firm was well established as a prominent architectural and engineering firm capable of executing large-scale projects including many sports facilities such as Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore, Maryland in 1992.

Projects:

King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, largest LEED NC-Platinum project ever built.